Autothrall's Best Metal Albums of 1993

The Top 20 Metal Albums of 1993

01. Paradise Lost (UK) - Icon
02. Demilich (Finland) - Nespithe
03. Carcass (UK) - Heartwork
04. Mercyful Fate (Denmark) - In the Shadows
05. Darkthrone (Norway) - Under a Funeral Moon
06. Sepultura (Brazil) - Chaos A.D.
07. Necrophobic (Sweden) - The Nocturnal Silence
08. Dissection (Sweden) - The Somberlain
09. Voivod (Canada) - The Outer Limits
10. Grave Digger (Germany) - The Reaper
11. Rotting Christ (Greece) - Thy Mighty Contract
12. Poison (Germany) - Into the Abyss
13. Necromantia (Greece) - Crossing the Fiery Path
14. Cynic (USA) - Focus
15. Entombed (Sweden) - Wolverine Blues
16. Burzum (Norway) - Det Som Engang Var
17. Type O Negative (USA) - Bloody Kisses
18. Cathedral (UK) - The Ethereal Mirror
19. Immortal (Norway) - Pure Holocaust
20. Monster Magnet (USA) - Superjudge

After high school ended in '92, I definitely found my tastes drifting all over the place. Who didn't in the 90s? Grunge, jazzy hip hop, electronic music, and 'alternative rock' were among the few sounds I was newly exploring, but at the same time I was starting to play with a metallic hardcore band (combining two of my interests) and stuck to the harder sounds as loyally as possible. When it came to metal, I was definitely fond of the new 'extremes', and found myself further and further enamored with black and death metal. Norway was just beginning to make an impact as the infamy of bands like Burzum, Mayhem and Immortal was spreading. The Greeks also arrived on my radar via Rotting Christ and Necromantia. At the same time, I also found that I was fond of the more accessible, unique directions several popular underground bands like Carcass and Sepultura were taking. In hindsight, a lot of people seem furious over these 'sell out records' (utter bullshit, of course) but they really sounded fantastic, and they helped keep metal fresh during the 90s when it had so much else to compete with. Icon was easily my favorite this year, a beautiful and rainy doom metal record with loads of solemn guitar melodies and it still holds up. Nespithe was the other highlight.

UPDATE FOR 2020